Paper/Metal

The assignment

Ideas are simply a “new combination of old elements” (James Webb Young as cited in Foster, 1996, p. 13). Ultimately, creativity is the ability to successfully connect (seemingly unrelated) things.

Trash is nothing more than discarded elements that are no longer needed or no longer function for their original intent. Some argue that the materials in trash are essentially new, untapped resources for new things.

For this week’s personal creativity log, gather five seemingly unrelated items throughout the day that have been discarded as waste. Then, mash them together to create something new.

Take a photo of your creation and upload it to the creativity log. Describe the usefulness of your new creation. The more uses, the better! Then, reflect on and describe the process of generating the new product/artifact. What did it teach you about the importance of curiosity, play, and experimentation for idea generation?

My contribution

Items used:

• Paper towel roll
• Tetrapak
• Magazine
• Soda can
• Seal from a PW4000 engine (scrap aircraft engine component)

I collected each item on a different day over the course of the week. I knew I wanted to use something from the scrap cage at work, and I was immediately inspired when I was allowed to take the engine seal. I wasn’t sure how to incorporate all of the items, so I spent a couple of hours on Friday night and a couple on Saturday just trying different things, cutting, crafting, mashing. When I chopped up the soda can and came out with a sun, I was encouraged. Then I cut up the paper towel roll and made flowers from the rings. Already on track with the idea of a wreath, the Tetrapak and the magazine challenged me. I ended up cutting up the Tetrapak to make flowers to put atop the roll-ring flowers, and then the magazine became the yellow accent flowers as well as the chain swag.

Though it doesn’t have multiple uses, I love how it turned out as a decor piece. At first, limiting the project to just five elements was hard, but I’m thankful for the constraint. It helped me to more thoughtfully consider how each would contribute to the overall design. Blending the natural brown and paper bits with the silver technological pieces looks cool to me, as does the juxtaposition of floral mounted upon an airplane engine component. I’m glad I took the week to collect the pieces, and I really appreciate the three days I spent putting them all together. I hope to find a spot in the house to display it.